Poration



Oct. 29, 1929. L. T. WILCOX LIQUID FUEL BURNER Filed NOV. 23, 1926 INVENTOR ZemeIrZT Wilcox Patented Oct. 29, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LEWIS T. WILCOX, F PEEKSKILL, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO WILOOX PATENTS COB- IPORATION, OF PEEKSKILL, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK LIQUID-FUEL. BURNER Application filed November 23, 1926. Serial No. 150,198.

intentional eccentricity of the tubes in which the wick as commonly employed is placed, as well no doubt as from other similar causes. The object of my invention is to overcome these difficulties and at the same time to effect a material reduction in cost in the production of the burner and the air distributor used in connection therewith by so constructing the distributor as to provide a plurality of spaced walls for directing air currents to the wick and to employ a minimum number of parts made from as little material as possible. The invention furthermore relates to'that type of burner in which the air distributor is revoluble and may be maintainednormally in any position therein and which may be released and removed by raising a handle or similar device by which the air distributor may be lifted, as will be hereinafter more particularly described. p

In the drawing Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section illustrating a liquid fuel burner made in accordance with my present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan of the same.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 8-3, Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4: is an elevation of a blank from which one of the partition or division walls is constructed.

he type of burner to which my invention relates is that in which there is an inner burn or tube 10, an outer burner tube 11 and a wick 12 placed between the burner tubes and adapted to be raised and lowered between the same by any suitable mechanism known to the art. The inner tube is provided with an internal flange 13 adapted to support and to have secured thereto the air distributor as hereinafter described. Also the outer tube 11 is provided with an external flange 14 which is preferably somewhat below the flange 13. This flange 14 cooperates with suitable arms 15 on a collar 16 to support the collar which in turn supports the casing or tubular member of the burner.

In the present instance the air distributor is made to include a plurality of spaced walls made from blanks, a rim member carried by the walls, together with a base connected to the walls to define inlet openings to the spaces between the walls, and a cover or spreader also connected to the walls. lVith these parts as hereinafter described, suitable means are also associated for securing the air distributor in position in the tubes of the burner. The air distributor is adapted to fit within the inner tube of the burner and the body thereof consists of partition walls arranged in sets with each set of walls made from a blank. In the form of the invention as illustrated, a blank from which a set of partition walls is made is indicated at 17 in Fig. 4. This blank is punched or stamped by means of suitable dies into the form illustrated and includes oppositely disposed notches l8 and 19 with projections 20 and 21 for the purposes hereinafter indicated. The upper edge of the blank is provided with tongues 22 and 23 and the lowor edge of the blank is provided with tongues 2 1- and 25. The blank is preferably provided at substantially its center with a hole 26 and adjacent its lower corners with holes 27 and 28 for purposes hereinafter described.

In bein formed for use each of these blanks is bent or pressed into U shape as clearly illustrated in F ig. 3. In this form the blank is converted into a member having a base 29, intermediate walls 30 and 81 and outer walls 32 and 33. In the form of the invention as illustrated, a pair of these blanks is employed. The bases of the walls are placed in juxtaposed positions and connected by a rivet 34 or otherwise. It will be appreciated, however that in view of the construction hereinafter described it is not absolutely necessary for these walls to be so connected. WVhen thus connected, however, or when in position for use, the base walls 29 assume a centrally disposed radial position. The outer walls 32 and 83 also assume radial positions and preferably at a angle from the base wallsQS), while the intern'iediate walls and 31 are offset as clearly shown in Figure 3 of the drawing. It will be understood that when thus formed the extremities of the walls, that is their outer edges, are adapted to pass within the inner tube 10 and to rest upon and to be supported by the internal flange 13.

The burner also includes a rim member 35 and a disk or base 36. These parts are stamped from one and the same blank and the rim member is preferably V shape in cross section and is adapted to fit and lie within the notches 18 and 19 in the walls of the air distributor. The base or disk is secured to the Walls by passing the tongues 2a and 25 through slots in the base or disk and turning the outer portions of these tongues down against the inner or lower face of the disk. This base or disk 36 is imperforate and the diameter thereof is such as to leave an appreciable segmental space be tween the outer edge of the disk and the inner face of the inner wall 10 to provide adequate inlets for air passing up through the inner tube to the separate sector shaped compartments formed by the walls made from the blanks 17 as hereinbefore described.

The air distributor also includes a cap or spreader member 37. This is connected to the partition walls by passing the tongues 22 and 23 through slots made in the spreader for this purpose and turning the outer p01- tions of these tongues downwardly against the outer face of the spreader. It will be noted that the outer portions 38 of the upper edge of the blanks from which the partition walls are made conform with the adjacent inner face of the cap or spreader and that the projections 20 and 21 lie between the spreader and the angle of the rim 35 so as to direct the air to the flame at the top of the wick. As illustrated, the central portion of the upper edge of the blank is not made to conform to the upper portion of the cap or spreader. Obviously, however, it may be so made without departing from the nature and spirit of the invention. It will now be understood that the partition walls being connected to the base or disk and also to the cap or spreader will be maintained in their operative positions irrespective of whether they are connected by a bolt or rivet as here inbcfore described or not.

In order to maintain the air distributor in any revoluble position in the burner tubes I employ a set of oppositely disposed latch levers pivotally mounted on the partition walls with the major portion thereof lying above the base or disk and operated by a suitable loop or handle passing through the :ap or spreader. One of these latch levers is indicated at 39. This is pivotally connected to the outer wall 32 on a pin or pivot 40 passing through the hole 27. This latch lever is provided with a hook ll adapted to engage the underside of any portion of the internal flange 13. Similarly at the opposite side of the air distributor there is a latch lever 42. This is pivotally connected as indicated at 4:3 in a position in the oppositely disposed partition wall correspondng with the position of the pin or pivot 4L0. The latch lever 42 is provided with a hook 14 also adapted to engage the lower face of the internal flange 13. The inner ends of the latch lovers are slotted as indicated at &5 and 46 and engaging in these slots are the extremities of a loop or handle 4 which passes through apertures 48 and 49 provided therefor in the cap or spreader member 37. This spreader member 37 as is customary may have provided therein spaced apertures indicated at 50 and 51.

From the foregoing description it will noW be apparent that the liquid fuel burner made in accordance with this invention not only provides a structure in which predetermined and independent quantities of air are evenly distributed to the Wick to provide a uniform abustion and a resultant evenly distributed heat in all parts of the burner, but also that there is a substantial economy effected in the use of the material employed, and furthermore, that the structure is so made as to be normally locked in any revoluble position in the burner tubes and readily released to lift the air distributor from the burner tubes for the purpose of cleaning the parts, or repairs or otherwise. As hereinbefore stated, it will be understood that the diameter of the imperforate base or disk indicated at 3.6 is such as to make the areas of the spaces between the same and the Wall of the inner burner tube 10 suflicient to admit the necessary quantity of air for adequately supportin the combustion of the fuel. Attention is also particularly directed to the manner in which the latch levers are mounted with the outer portions thereof parallel to the outer part s of the partition walls to which they are attached and with the inner portions thereof extending above the base or disk 36. The inner ends thus are protected by the base or disk and extended in a spaced position from the offset intermediate portions of the partition Walls. The inner ends thus interfere in no way with the connection of the loop or handle and the operation thereof to move the latch levers to disengage the hooks or in permittingthese latch levers when inserting the air distributor to automatically assume their normal positions in which the air distributor is locked in place in any position within the burner tubes.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a liquid fuel burner having burner tubes adapted to receive a wick therebetween, an air distributor comprising spaced walls. adapted ot fit within the burner tubes and to divide the space therein into a plurality of'independent compartments, a base connected to,v

the lower ends of said spaced walls, and a spreader member connected to the upper ends of said spaced walls.

2. In a liquid fuel burner having burner tubes adapted to receive a wick therebetween, an air distributor comprising a plurality of spaced walls fitting within the burner tubes and dividing the space therein into a plurality of independent compartments, the said walls having notches in the outer edges thereof adjacent the upper end, a rim member set in said notches in said walls, a base secured to the lower ends of the said walls, and a spreader member secured to said walls at the upper ends thereof.

8. In a liquid fuel burner having burner tubes adapted to receive a wick therebetween, an air distributor comprising a plurality of spaced walls fitting within said burner tubes and dividing the space therein into a plurality of independent compartments, a rim member in contact with the outer edges of the said spaced walls, an imperforate disk forming a base secured to the lower end of said spaced walls, and a spreader member secured to the upper ends of said spaced walls.

l. In a liquid fuel burner having burner tubes adapted to receive a wick therebetween, an air distributor comprising spaced walls adapted to fit within the burner tubes and to divide the space therein into a plurality of independent compartments, the outer edges of the said walls being each provided with a notch and a projection forming one side of the notch adjacent the upper end thereof, a rim member fitted within the notches in the outer edges of the said spaced walls, an imperforate disk forming a base secured to the lower ends of said spaced walls, and a spread er secured to the upper ends of said spaced walls with a portion of the upper edges of said spaced walls conforming in shape to associated parts of said spreader and said projections on the outer edges of the said spaced walls extending between the outer portion of the spreader and the adjacent portion of said rim member.

5. In a liquid fuel burner having burner tubes adapted to receive a wick therebetween,

* an air distributor comprising a plurality of sets of radial partition walls, each set of partition walls being formed from a blank to include a central portion, outer portions and intermediate portions, said latter portions be- 7 ing offset from the other portions, the said of said walls, and a spreader member secured to the upper ends of said spaced walls.

6. In a liquid fuel burner having burner tubes adapted to receive a wick therebetween an air distributor comprising a plurality of sets of radial walls, each set of walls being formed from a blank to include a central portion, outer portions disposed at substantially angles to the central portion and intermediate otfset portions extending between and connecting the other portions, a disk forming a base secured to the lower ends of said walls, and a spreader member secured to the upper ends of said walls.

7. In a liquid fuel burner having burner tubes adapted to receive a wick therebetween, an air distributor comprising a plurality of sets of radial walls, each set of walls being formed from a blank to include a central radially disposed portion, outer portions radially disposed at substantially 45 angles to the central portion and intermediate ottset portions extending between and connecting said radially disposed central and outer portions, the outer edges of said walls being provided with notches adjacent the upper ends thereof, a rim member set in the notches in said walls, a disk forming a base secured to the lower edges of said walls, and a spreader member secured to the upper ends of said walls.

8. In a liquid fuel burner having inner and outer burner tubes adapted to receive a wick therebetween, said inner burner tube having an internal flange thereon, an air distributor comprising a plurality of spaced walls fitting within the inner burner tube and adapted to divide the space therein into a plurality of independent compartments, a base secured to the lower ends of said walls, a spreader connected to the upper ends of said walls, a plurality of latch levers pivotally connected to said walls adjacent the outer edge thereof and adapted to engage the internal flange on the inner burner tube, and means for actuating said latch levers to disengage them from said internal flange.

9. In a liquid fuel burner having inner and outer burner tubes adapted to receive a wick therebetween, said inner burner tube having an internal flange thereon, an air distributor comprising spaced radial walls arranged in sets with each set of walls made from a blank to include a centrally disposed portion, outer portions and intermediate offset portions, a disk forming a base secured to the lower ends of said walls, a spreader connected to the upper ends of said walls, latch levers pivotally connected to the outer portions of said walls and adapted to engage said internal. flange on the inner burner tube, the inner portion of the latch lever extending over said base and appreciably spaced from the adjacent offset portion of the wall to which it is pivotally connected, and means for actuating said latch levers to disengage them from said internal flange.

10. In a liquid fuel burner having inner and outer burner tubes adapted to receive a wick, therebetween, said inner burner tube having an internal flange thereon, an air distributor comprising spaced radial walls arranged in sets With each set of Walls made from a blank to include a centrally disposed portion, outer portions and intermediate oil'- set portions, a disk forming a base secured to the lower ends of said Walls, a spreader connected to the upper ends of said Walls, a plurality of latch levers pivotally connected at their outer ends to the outer portion of said Walls and having hooks at their pivotally conmeted ends for engaging said internal flange, said latch levers extending over a portion of the disk and lying in a position spaced from the intermediate part of the wall to Which it is pivotally connected, and a handle memher passing through said spreader and connected to the inner ends 01 said latch levers for operating the same to cause the hooks thereof to become disengaged from the intern al flange of the inner burner tube thereby permitting the air distributor to be removed from the burner tubes.

Signed by me this 12th day of November,

LEWIS T. VILCOX. 

